Water closet



J. R. EVANS WATER CLOSET Dec. 30,1941.

3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 31, 1940 Dec. 3o, '1941. J. R. EVANS 2,268,377

WATER cLosET Filed Dec. Si, 1940 (j www cfa/m 7?. Evans',

r RVF" 3 sheets-sheet 2 Dec. 3o, 1941. R EVANS 2,268,377

WATER CLosET Filed Dec.. 31, 1940 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Dec. 30, 1941 WATER. CLOSET John R. Evans, Pittston, Pa., assignor to Ne-Flex Manufacturing Company, Pittston, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 31, 1940, Serial No. 372,646

5 Claims.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my pending application Serial Number 275,523, led May 24, 1939.

This invention relates to a water closet or toilet hopper, and more particularly to a foot rest and exercising device associated therewith.

One object of the invention is to provide means for exercising and thereby stimulating the muscles of the abdomen, stomach and legs of a person while seated upon a toilet hopper in order to elfect an easy, natural and complete evacuation of the bowels.

Another object of the invention is to provide means tending to induce habitual use of an exercising device of the kind mentioned whereby the general condition and strength of the muscles of the users abdomen, stomach and legs is improved and his heatlh and well-being thereby favorably affected. The invention is designed by its regular and proper use to aid persons suffering from constipation or other bowel disorder, to strengthen the aforesaid muscles and obtain regular and natural bowel movements without the necessity of resorting to the use of cathartics.

A further object of the invention is to provide a foot rest in conjunction with a toilet hopper whereby a person is enabled to assume a natural crouching position on the toilet seat with the knees elevated so as to bring the weight of the body on his legs and feet and permit a more natural functioning of the bowel muscles so that a more complete elimination of the bowels is effected.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a toilet hopper having a recess in its base for the reception of an exercising device of the kind mentioned and means associated therewith for manually or automatically moving the exercising device to a position for use by a person seated on the toilet seat.

Other objects and desirable features of the invention, such for example as simplicity of construction, neatness of appearance and facility of sanitation Will appear during the course of the following detailed disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of a toilet hopper embodying the invention, 'and showing the exercising device in its closed or housed position in the base of the hopper,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation View of the toilet hopper partially broken away along the line 2-2 of Fig, 1 to expose the exercising device and its operating springs and positioning mechanism,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View showing details of the automatic positioning mechanism of the exercising device,

Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing the appearance and relative positions of the parts of the exercising device with relation to the recess in the base of the toilet hopper,

Fig. 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 showing in detail the foot rest and the operating and positioning springs of the exercising device.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation view of a toilet hopper embodying a modified form of the invention, part of the base of the hopper being broken away to show the operating mechanism of a manually positionable exercising device,

Fig. 7 is a front elevation View of another modification of the invention showing an exercising device adapted to be positioned by a foot lever, and Fig. 8 is a detailed view of the exercising device with its positioning mechanism and operating spring taken along line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

In the drawings I is a toilet hopper having the usual toilet seat 2. The base of the toilet hopper I is provided with a depressed housing portion in its front comprising a T-shaped recess indicated at 3 into which the T-shaped footrest 4 of the exercising device is adapted to be housed in its retracted position, and a second recess 5 located behind the T-shaped recess 3 and in which is housed the operating mechanism of the exercising device.

The exercising device comprises the T-shaped footrest 4, the upright lever portion of which is provided with a short lever portion or cam 6, and is mounted on pivot 1. The free end of the cam portion 6 bears upon the spring follower 8 located within the lower end of a spring casing 9 which is positioned in the second recess 5 in the base of the toilet hopper. An operating spring casing 9 which is positioned in the second recess 5 in the base of the toilet hopper. An operating spring l0 bears at its lower end upon the follower 8, and, when the exercising device is in operation, at its upper end upon the closed upper end of the spring casing 9. The spring l0 remains out of contact with the top of the spring casing 9 when the footrest 4 is in its housed position within the base of the hopper. When the footrest 4 is moved to its operative position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the top of the spring lll will be brought into contact with the top of spring casing 9 and further depression of the footrest 4 will then take place against the compression of the spring IU.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, the footrest 4 is brought into its operative position automatically upon the seating of a vperson upon the toiletseat. The mechanism by which this automatic positioning is brought about comprises a pair of rods II-II, passing vertically through openings in the front of the hopper Iand projecting slightly above the top of the hopper for contact with the under surface of toilet seat 2.

The lower ends of the rods II seat in recesses I2, formed in the outer ends of levers I3, which are pivoted at their centers to lugs I4 projecting laterally from the spring casing 9. The inner ends of the levers I3 bear upon the bottom of cam 6 of the footrest 4 which in turn bears upon the follower 8 as shown in Fig. 3. A positioning spring I5 of relatively light construction as com pared with the operating spring I is positioned inside the latter and bears at all times upon the follower 8 and the top of spring case 9.

From the above description it will readily be seen that the exercising device is normally maintained in inoperative position by the pressure of the positioning spring I on the follower 8 which transmits pressure to cam 6 of footrest 4 and thereby to the levers I3. Thus the footrest 4 is retained in the recess 3, and rods I I are pushed upward against the toilet seat 2.

When a person sits upon the toilet seat 2, the seat is depressed, pushing down the rods II and thereby compressing the positioning spring I5 and moving the footrest 4 to its operative position. At the same time the top of spring I!) is brought into contact with the top of spring case 9 so that further depression of the footrest will take place against the compression of spring ID.

In the modification of the exercising device shown in Fig. 6 the positioning of the footrest 4 takes place by moving a hand lever I6 mounted on the pivot which extends between the bearing lug I8 on the base of the hopper and bearing lugs I9 formed on the bottom of the spring casing 9, and on which pivot the footrest 4 is xed. Thus the footrest 4 is moved to its operative or inoperative position by movement of the handlever I6.

In another modification of the exercising device, as shown by Fig. 7, a foot lever I9' is provided for positioning of the footrest 4. In other respects the operation of this modiiication exercising device is the same as the one just described.

From the foregoing description of embodiments of the invention it will be apparent that an exercising device has been provided whereby a person seated on the toilet hopper may rest his feet upon the footrest, and, exerting himself to raise and lower his feet against the compression of the operating spring, receive the benecial results arising from the exercising of the muscles of the abdomen, stomach and legs thus obtained.

CTI.

It is apparent that various changes in the details of the embodiments illustrated may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. A toilet hopper having a recess, an exercising device adapted to be positioned in said recess, spring means for retaining said exercising device in said recess, and means for extending said exercising device against the pressure of said spring means.

2. A toilet hopper having a seat, a recess in said hopper for receiving an exercising device, an operating spring for said exercising device, a retaining spring for said exercising device, and means cooperating with said seat for positioning said exercising device against the pressure of said retaining spring.

3. The combination with a foot-rest mounted for up and down swinging movement in front of a toilet hopper, a seat pivotally mountedv on the hopper, a recess formed in the front wall of the hopper, a iulcrum` positioned within the lower end of the recess about which the foot-rest is made to swing, a spring also positioned withinv the recess for yieldingly holding the foot-rest within the recess when the foot-rest is not in use and means acted upon by the hopper seat when moved downwardly for vprojecting the footrest from the recess to a position in front of the hopper in opposition to the tension of the spring.

4. The combination with a foot-rest mounted for up and down swinging movement in front of a toilet hopper, a recess formed in the front wall of the hopper, a fulcrum positioned within the lower end of the recess about which the footrest is made to swing, a spring also positioned within the recess for yieldingly holding the footrest within the recess when the foot-rest is not in use and manually operable means provided for projecting the foot-rest from the recess to a position in front of the hopper, said manually operable means exerting a force in opposition to the tension of the spring.

5. A movable foot-rest in combination with a toilet hopper, the foot-rest being mounted for up and down movement in an arcuate path on a horizontally disposed pivotal support positioned in front of the toilet hopper whereby the feet of aperson seated on the hopper will move downwardly and outwardly away from the hopper as the foot-rest is forced down, and upwardly and toward the hopper as the foot-rest rises, when the persons knees are alternately lowered and raised, and a spring disposed adjacent the pivotal support of the foot-rest, said spring reacting against the foot-rest to maintainl the foot-rest in elevated position when not in use.

JOHN R. EVANS. 

